In May, I attended the Black Hills Film Festival. I’ve been to each festival since it began 5 years ago, and every year something special touches me. Every year I go home talking about something – some movie, an interesting topic, and of course, the many great people I meet – but, this year, the highlight of the festival was the showing of Dinosaur 13. Dinosaur 13 is the story of the custody battle for Sue, the largest, most complete T. Rex ever found. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was purchased for theatrical distribution by Lionsgate. It sold for one million dollars, an unusually high amount for a documentary. The Black Hills Film Festival in Hill City was one of few select festivals that was able to screen the documentary prior to its theatrical release.

As I mentioned, the Black Hills Film Festival takes place in Hill City. I was able to watch this documentary in the very town where the drama took place. I sat surrounded by not only community members, but members of the Black Hills Institute of Geology involved in the battle over Sue. In fact, I sat directly behind one of the geologists who was featured frequently in the film. It was his first time watching the documentary. Sitting next to his wife. the couple winced during every grueling part of the story. The emotions they experienced during the showing was raw and powerful, which added power to my own viewing experience.

I won’t give away too much of the story here on this blog, but I do encourage readers to check out www.dinosaur13movie.com. The website lists several places where you are able to purchase the documentary on demand to watch in your home. The film has been screened at dozens of festivals in locations like Wales, England, Norway, Scotland, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Australia, and dozens of others. It was an absolute treat to watch it at the Black Hills Film Festival in the exact city where Sue was dearly loved by these scientists.

Next time you come to South Dakota, be sure to stop at the Museum at the Black Hills Institute, which is where Sue was brought after being discovered. After watching Dinosaur 13, I don’t think that I’ll look at fossils the same. It was amazing how much love goes into these discoveries. I certainly will no longer be able to walk into this museum without being overwhelmed with emotion. The museum describes itself as “a modest but incredible natural history museum. Natural history enthusiasts can rest assured; you will find something unique in this treasure trove of amazing dinosaurs, fossils, minerals and collectibles from all over the world.” After watching Dinosaur 13, I am sure that they are right.

Written by former soap opera star Richard Cerasani, “Love Letters from Mount Rushmore: The Story of a Marriage, a Monument, and a Moment in History” is the newest book available from the South Dakota State Historical Society.

Starting with the discovery of an old trunk, Cerasani recounts a previously untold story of love and opportunity set during the carving of Mount Rushmore.

The story centers on Cerasani’s father, Arthur Cerasani, who worked on Mount Rushmore from March to September of 1940. A sculptor and artist from Rochester, N.Y., Arthur lived in the Black Hills, while his family remained over 1,500 miles away in Avon, N.Y. Over this vast distance, he and his wife Mary stayed connected through daily letters. Their correspondence, presented here with never-before-seen photographs, brings to light the everyday trials of working on the Mount Rushmore Memorial and the strength of the human spirit.

Despite isolation, spring blizzards, summer heat, and the unpredictable moods and fortunes of master sculptor Gutzon Borglum, Arthur Cerasani manages to grow as an artist and connect with Luigi Del Bianco, Hugo Villa and other carvers of the great monument.

“Richard Cerasani is telling the story of his parents, but, in the end, he is sharing the experience of many workers on Mount Rushmore,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the State Historical Society. “By using letters, photographs and art, the author has created an engaging new account for readers about this national monument. It is an important piece of history that, until now, was not available.”

Made famous by his role as the villain Bill Watson on “General Hospital,” Richard Cerasani is the middle son of Arthur and Mary Cerasani. He has been a professional actor and member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actors’ Equity Association and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists for some 50 years. He acts under his professional name, Richard Caine.

On the experience of writing “Love Letters from Mount Rushmore,” Cerasani relates, “when I first started this book, Arthur and Mary Cerasani were simply my parents. However, the trunk in the attic revealed a more complete—and complex—picture of the life they had lived for their children and others.”

“Love Letters from Mount Rushmore: The Story of a Marriage, a Monument, and a Moment in History” is available for $29.95 plus shipping and tax and can be purchased from most bookstores or ordered directly from the South Dakota Historical Society Press. Visit www.sdshspress.com, email orders@sdshspress.com or call (605) 773-6009.

South Dakota’s own Sioux Horse Effigy, an artifact from the collection of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society, is presently on display in a groundbreaking exhibition of Plains Indian masterworks, entitled “The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky.”We worked very closely with exhibition organizers to ensure the safety and security of the effigy as it is exhibited in three of the best art museums in the world.

The new international, traveling exhibition opened in Paris atmusée du quai Branly on April 7. It was organized by quai Branly in partnership with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is curated by Gaylord Torrence, one of the nation’s leading scholars of Plains Indian art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum.

“The Plains Indians”will be on view at quai Branly until July 20. It travels to the Nelson-Atkins Museum for display from Sept. 19 to Jan. 11, 2015. The final stop for the exhibition is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from March 2 to May 10, 2015.

To have one of our prized artifacts included in an exhibit of this magnitude is a great opportunity for the Museum to call attention to our amazing collection. This magnificent artifact, which also serves as the logo of our organization, will be seen by approximately one million people over the next 12 months. We are presently planning a celebration of the Sioux Horse Effigy when it returns to the Cultural Heritage Center in 2015.

This is not the first time the Sioux Horse Effigy has been displayed overseas. It traveled to Great Britain in 1977 as part of the “Sacred Circles” exhibition. The effigy was singled out at the time as a unique and important artifact by scholars and art historians during its first run overseas. This new exhibition promises to bring even more attention to the object – and awareness for the Historical Society and the State of South Dakota as people recognize the great cultural heritage and history of the Mount Rushmore state.

The exhibition, and the inclusion of the effigy, continues to generate a great deal of publicity for the Museum. The effigy was recently featured in an article in the Kansas City Star about the exhibit, and news stories have appeared in over three dozen news organizations in four states. Additionally, updates about the effigy can be seen in an exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center that features the travels of the effigy, as well as Museum’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SDMuseum?ref=sgm

For more information about the Sioux Horse Effigy, the traveling exhibit, or the Cultural Heritage Center, visit www.history.sd.gov or call 605.773.3458.

Award-winning illustrator Donald F. Montileaux has put another ancient Lakota tale to paper. Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend features a Lakota translation by Agnes Gay and is the newest children’s book from the South Dakota State Historical Society. It is a story of adventure, discovery, loss and renewal, set to beautiful ledger-style illustrations that illuminate the story of the horse and its importance to the plains people.

Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend uses traditional storytelling methods to impart wisdom to new generations. Readers journey with a young warrior as he tracks a strange new creature across the plains. Far from home, he discovers beasts that run as swift as the wind and shimmer with many colors. The young Lakota warrior captures and tames them, and his people grow rich and powerful. Then the Great Spirit, who gave the gift of the horse, takes it away.

“This book is an important addition to our collection of stories for children. Don has created a visually stunning work of art and, together with Agnes Gay, has preserved a piece of Lakota culture,” says Nancy Tystad Koupal, Director of the South Dakota Historical Society Press.

Donald F. Montileaux is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Tasunka is the first time he has worked with the South Dakota State Historical Society as both an author and an illustrator. Montileaux contributed artwork to the multi-award winning South Dakota Historical Society Press book, Tatanka and the Lakota People: A Creation Story, and illustrated The Enchanted Buffalo, part of the Press’s Prairie Tale series. An award-winning artist, illustrator, presenter, and consultant on Lakota culture, he uses his art to tell traditional Lakota stories. Montileaux lives in Rapid City, South Dakota, with his family. He dedicates Tasunka to Alex White Plume, who provided the catalyst for the book.

Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend is available for $19.95 plus shipping and tax and can be purchased from most bookstores or ordered directly from the South Dakota Historical Society Press. Visit www.sdshspress.com, email orders@sdshspress.com, or call (605) 773-6009. Tasunka is appropriate for first- to fourth-grade readers or as a book to be read aloud to younger children.

The South Dakota Hall of Fame is housed in a beautiful building sitting on the banks of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota. Inside you’ll find the stories of hundreds of influential South Dakotans, which showcase the great works being done by people in the Mount Rushmore state.

While the Hall of Fame was established in 1974, it was in 1996 that the state legislature designated the South Dakota Hall of Fame in Chamberlain as the official Hall of Fame for South Dakota. It is a non-profit organization that has a board of directors and a full-time staff who stand behind the mission of the organization.

The South Dakota Hall of Fame offers the opportunity for visitors to learn more about the people that make up the Great Faces of the state’s Great Places. It’s an interesting place for kids too, with interactive displays and trivia about inductees.

Each year, up to 15 people are inducted into one of five established categories: professional, arts & entertainment, historical, general, and sports. The 2013 induction ceremony took place on September 14, when 10 individuals were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Notable faces that have been inducted to the Hall of Fame over the years include Mary Hart, Terry Redlin, Tom Brokaw, Al Neuharth, and Crazy Horse.

It’s a great place to stop to learn more about the state’s diverse set of people who have contributed to the progress of the state, shaped the way of life and values for South Dakotans, and to simply honor those who have forged the way with their leadership, professionalism, and values.

The South Dakota Hall of Fame is located just off Interstate-90 at Exit 263. Visitors are able to come year round. Memorial Day through Labor Day hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Winter hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Adjacent, and within very close walking distance, is the South Dakota Veteran’s Park. The goal of the site is to honor all South Dakota military veterans and active duty personnel for their service. The park will continue to develop over the next few years.

The U.S. Mint has recently announced their “America the Beautiful” series of quarters that features national parks and sites around the United States. Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is proud to be on 1 of 5 of these designs in the first set to be released around December of 2013.

“Our South Dakota: Big Land / Big Ideas / Big Heart” is on exhibit in the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society located at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

It’s a great exhibit featuring the landscapes of South Dakota from past to present. You’re able to measure yourself up to a full-size replica of George Washington’s nose on Mount Rushmore – the nose is over 15-feet tall! Sit down, and gets hands on with an old-school typewriter and type out a memo to a friend, you could take it home and send it in the snail mail with a stamp!

You’ll also have the opportunity to get in touch with nature. There are fox skins, skunk skins all for you to touch, feel, explore and learn from inside this great exhibit. Oh, I can’t forget to mention the poop samplings that are lying around. Don’t be surprised if it looks like a previous visitor brought along a buffalo, coyote or prairie dog. Not to worry, the samplings are only rubber, but they sure look real!

Climb into a real combine cab and see what it is like to harvest a field. Or, see how South Dakota measures up in size to other states in our nation by grabbing a Velcro state of South Dakota and moving it along the country side to see how the size compares. We look tiny compared to Texas, but massive compared to many eastern states. It’s an interesting hands on exhibit that is great for adults and children of all ages. Get to know South Dakota a little bit better by visiting this exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

There is a Great Place in South Dakota that is located north of the Pierre and Fort Pierre communities. It creates the fourth largest artificial reservoir in the United States and one of the largest earth-rolled dams in the world. It’s the Oahe Dam.

Not only does the Oahe Dam provide great recreation along Lake Oahe, but it also supplies irrigation, conservation, and electric power to many Midwestern states.

The Missouri River today is much different than the muddy, winding waterway that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark once traveled some 200 years ago. Today, four massive dams, completed in the early 1960s, mitigated the river and created more than 900 miles of open water and 3,000 miles of shoreline. In addition, the dams have created a world-class freshwater fishery.

The Oahe Dam was authorized in 1944 by the Flood Control Act. Work began on the dam in 1948 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. By 1962, the Oahe Dam was functioning and producing hydoelectic power. The dam was dedicated on August 17, 1962, by President John F. Kennedy.

Visitors can view the Oahe Dam and Lake Oahe by following Highway 1804 seven miles north of Pierre. The Oahe Dam Visitor Center provides a complete history of Lake Oahe and the surrounding area. Exhibits feature the history of the construction of the dam and power plant and the natural history of Lake Oahe and the Missouri River.

The Oahe Dam Visitor Center, located above the dam, is open year-round with summer hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and winter hours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Visitor Center features interactive displays and information about the Oahe Dam and the Missouri River. Tours of the power plant are available. Visitors can also tour the Oahe Chapel which was built in 1877, and relocated to its current location in 1964, after the dam was built. For more information call 888-386-4617 or go to http://www.sdgreatlakes.org/thelakes/lakeoahe/.

The unique history and spirit of South Dakota is captured and accumulated in this Great Place. Visitors will find a new discovery around every corner. It’s the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society in the capital city, Pierre.

The museum is a place to learn about American Indian history, explorers, homesteaders, and politicians who established South Dakota. Visitors can get an understanding of the challenges that the people of South Dakota experienced in the 20th century.

Highlights of the museum include the Sioux Horse Effigy Dancing Stick, the Verendrye Plate and a realistic model cow that visitors can try their hand at hand-milking. There are three permanent galleries displaying artifacts.

The newest exhibit at the museum is titled “Our South Dakota: Big Land, Big Ideas, Big Heart.” It showcases South Dakotain a new perspective. Visitors are able to look atSouth Dakota’s past and present and even size themselves up to George Washington’s nose from Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

The museum is located at the Cultural Heritage Center, the South Dakota State Historical Society headquarters. The museum shares the 63,000 square foot building with a number of offices within the Society. For a size comparison, that equals the length of two football fields.

The State Archives is also located inside the Cultural Heritage Center. It contains more than 12,000 cubic feet of records. This equates to more than 37,600,000 records, including books, maps, and photographs. With a few exceptions, all of these records are open to the public for research. There is also a gift shop, South Dakota Heritage Store, on site featuring Made in South Dakota products.

The Cultural Heritage Center is open during the winter months, Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from1-4:30 p.m. The museum has extended hours during the summer season, Memorial Day through Labor Day, of Monday through Saturday9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from 1-4:30 p.m. The museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Admission fees are $4.00 for adults, sixty and over $3.00, and children 17 and under are free.

The mission of this South Dakota museum is to “collect, preserve, and interpret the social, political, and cultural history of the State of South Dakota and Dakota Territory. The museum makes its collections available through exhibitions, loans to other museums, and publications.” The museum is a part of the South Dakota State Historical Society which is a component of the South Dakota Department of Tourism.

The Verendrye Museum in Fort Pierre is a Great Place in South Dakota that highlights and documents the history of the Fort Pierre area from the earliest explorations of Europeans.

It was in 1742, that brothers Francois and Louis-Joseph Verendrye embarked on their expedition to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They reached the location of the present-day Fort Pierre and Pierre area 61 years before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

In March 1743, they buried a lead plate in the area to establish French sovereignty on the upper Missouri, hoping to establish French control of the entire Mississippi drainage system.

It wasn’t until 1913 that children playing along the hillside found the lead plate. State historian Doane Robinson was contacted and saved the plate. Inscription on the front of the plate translates, “In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Louis XV, the most illustrious Lord, the Lord Marquis of Beauharnios being Viceroy, 1741, Pierre Gaultier De Le Verendrye placed this.” The back reads, “Placed by Chevalier Verendrye, Louis La Londette, and A. Miotte. 30 March 1743.”

The site is now commemorated with a granite marker that stands 4-feet tall and is engraved with the following: “Here on March 30, 1743, the Verendryes buried a lead tablet to claim this region for France. This tablet found on Feb. 16, 1913, is the first written record of the visit of white men to South Dakota.”

Today, the lead plate buried by the Verendrye brothers is displayed at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, which is open daily, call 605-773-3458 for more information. For a travel itinerary in the Pierre/Fort Pierre area click this link.

The Verendrye Museum is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. During the off season, a portion of the museum’s displays are at the Fort Pierre Log Cabin Information Center on the corner of Main and Highway 83 in Fort Pierre. Special arrangements can also be made by calling 605-222-6071.

For more information you can also visit the National Park Service’s page on this topic.